1. The Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to polymeric materials incorporating a carbon nanomaterial. More particularly, the present invention relates to polymeric materials incorporating carbon nanospheres;
2. The Related Technology
Carbon materials have been used in a variety of fields as high-performance and functional materials. Graphite is a well-known carbon material that has important properties such as conductivity and inertness. In the past decade, researchers have learned to manufacture graphitic structures on a nanometer scale. The most widely researched and understood graphitic nanostructures are carbon nanotubes. Recently, researchers have developed methods of making other carbon nanostructures such as carbon “nano-onions,” “nanohorns,” “nanobeads,” “nanofibers,” etc.
Some of these materials have been used to make composites by incorporating the nanostructures into polymeric materials. Most of these efforts have been directed toward incorporating single- and multi-walled nanotubes in polymers. Using carbon nanotubes as filler materials in polymers can be advantageous by increasing the strength of the composite material and making the composite material conductive.
However, incorporating carbon nanotubes into polymeric materials has proved to be very challenging. The fibrous shape of the carbon nanotubes combined with their small size makes them difficult to uniformly disperse in polymers. For applications where conductivity is desired, the amount of carbon nanotubes that is required to impart a meaningful reduction in electrical resistance is cost prohibitive for most applications.